Flour Garden Bakery

Sierra Business Council

Susan Copeland was studying art at UC Berkeley when she first started baking, at a local cheese and wine store that also sold its own baked goods. "I found baking to be very creative, not unlike ceramics," she says, "but with the added benefit of being edible!"

Within a couple of years she had decided to start her own bakery business, in the form of a bakery collective. After three years in the collective, she and her husband William (a contractor who has provided all the building and technical knowledge) moved to Nevada County, in the foothills of California's Sierra Nevada, where the towns of Grass Valley and Nevada City retain some of the look of their Gold Rush beginnings.

In 1981 the Copelands started the Flour Garden Bakery in Nevada City. Strongly influenced by the “alternative counter-cuisine movement” in Berkeley, they have always focused on producing nutritious and delicious baked goods. "We like to say, 'European-trained and self-taught,'" says Susan. "We bake completely from scratch using only the finest ingredients, including many organic ingredients. We are trying to develop connections to local producers, while understanding that wholesale sales are not the most beneficial for local farmers – farmers' markets being more lucrative for them."

In 1984 they opened a second store in Auburn, and in 1985 opened a third store in Grass Valley. They have enjoyed immense local support from a public who have come to appreciate dark-roast coffees (remember they started 26 years ago), and who have always appreciated their handmade, high-quality bakery goods, sandwiches, and soups.

In addition to studying art in college, Susan also studied ecology, and both studies have informed her business life. Beautiful art adorns the Flour Garden website and stores, and getting more involved in her local BALLE network has stepped up her commitment to local sourcing and sustainable practices. Since her first days in business, she has incorporated ecologically sound practices into her everyday operations. No styrofoam - ever. Recycling - always. No hydrogenated oils, or artificial flavorings. Everything made from scratch. "When we can," says Susan, "and I am sure we will more and more, we get produce locally."

Susan is also proud of Flour Garden's employment practices: "Our employment practices have always been more than fair, offering vacation and health benefits not mandated by the state. Our pay scale has always been above the norm." The three Flour Gardens employ about 55 people, with annual sales of about $2.2 million.